3 . According to a new study from market analysts, 1 in 5 Britons say that watching cookery programmes on TV has encouraged them to try different food. Almost one third say they now use a wider variety of ingredients (配料) than they used to, and just under 1 in 4 say they now buy better quality ingredients than before. One in four adults say that TV chefs have made them much more confident about expanding their cookery knowledge and skills, and young people are also getting more interested in cooking. The UK’s obsession (痴迷) with food is reflected through television scheduling. Cookery shows and documentaries about food are broadcast more often than before. With an increasing number of male chefs on TV, it’s no longer “uncool” for boys to like cooking.

Which is the percentage of the people using more diverse ingredients now?

A．20%.

B．24%.

C．25%.

D．33%.

4 . I was about 13 when an uncle gave me a copy of Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World. It was full of ideas that were new to me, so I spent the summer with my head in and out of that book. It spoke to me and brought me into a world of philosophy (哲学).

That love for philosophy lasted until I got to college. Nothing kills the love for philosophy faster than people who think they understand Foucault, Baudrillard, or Confucius better than you — and then try to explain them.

Eric Weiner’s The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers reawakened my love for philosophy. It is not an explanation, but an invitation to think and experience philosophy.

Weiner starts each chapter with a scene on a train ride between cities and then frames each philosopher’s work in the context (背景) of one thing they can help us do better. The end result is a read in which we learn to wonder like Socrates, see like Thoreau, listen like Schopenhauer, and have no regrets like Nietzsche. This, more than a book about understanding philosophy, is a book about learning to use philosophy to improve a life.

He makes philosophical thought an appealing exercise that improves the quality of our experiences, and he does so with plenty of humor. Weiner enters into conversation with some of the most important philosophers in history, and he becomes part of that crowd in the process by decoding (解读) their messages and adding his own interpretation.

The Socrates Express is a fun, sharp book that draws readers in with its apparent simplicity and gradually pulls them in deeper thoughts on desire, loneliness, and aging. The invitation is clear: Weiner wants you to pick up a coffee or tea and sit down with this book. I encourage you to take his offer. It’s worth your time, even if time is something we don’t have a lot of.

1. Who opened the door to philosophy for the author?

A．Foucault.

B．Eric Weiner.

C．Jostein Gaarder.

D．A college teacher.

2. What does the author like about The Socrates Express?

A．Its views on history are well-presented.

B．Its ideas can be applied to daily life.

C．It includes comments from readers.

D．It leaves an open ending.

5 . PRACTITIONERS

Jacqueline Felice de Almania (c.1322) highlights the suspicion that women practicing medicine faced. Born to a Jewish family in Florence, she moved to Paris where she worked as a physician and performed surgery. In 1322 she was tried for practicing unlawfully. In spite of the court hearing testimonials (证明) of her ability as a doctor, she was banned from medicine.	James Barry (c.1789 — 1865) was born Margaret Bulkley in Ireland but, dressed as a man, she was accepted by Edinburgh University to study medicine. She qualified as a surgeon in 1813, then joined the British Army, serving overseas. Barry retired in 1859, having practiced her entire medical profession living and working as a man.
Tan Yunxian (1461 — 1554) was a Chinese physician who learned her skills from her grandparents. Chinese women at the time could not serve apprenticeships (学徒期) with doctors. However, Tan passed the official exam. Tan treated women from all walks of life. In 1511, Tan wrote a book, Sayings of a Female Doctor, describing her life as a physician.	Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831 — 1895) worked as a nurse for eight years before studying in medical college in Boston in 1860. Four years later, she was the first African American woman to receive a medical degree. She moved to Virginia in 1865, where she provided medical care to freed slaves.

Who was the first African American with a medical degree?

A．Jacqueline Felice de Almania.

B．Tan Yunxian.

C．James Barry.

D．Rebecca Lee Crumpler.

6 . Welcome to Amsterdam, welcome to MacBike. You see much more from the seat of a bike! Cycling is the most economical, sustainable and fun way to explore the city, with its beautiful canals, parks, squares and countless lights. You can also bike along lovely landscapes outside of Amsterdam.

Why MacBike

MacBike has been around for almost 30 years and is the biggest bicycle rental company in Amsterdam. With over 2,500 bikes stored in our five rental shops at strategic locations, we make sure there is always a bike available for you. We offer the newest bicycles in a wide variety, including basic bikes with foot brake (刹车), bikes with hand brake and gears (排挡), bikes with child seats, and children’s bikes.

Prices

	Hand Brake, Three Gears	Foot Brake, No Gears
I hour	€7.50	€5.00
3 hours	€11.00	€7.50
1 day (24 hours)	€I4.75	€9.75
Each additional day	€8.00	€6.00

Guided City Tours

The 2.5-hour tour covers the Gooyer Windmill, the Skinny Bridge, the Rijksmuseum, Heineken Brewery and much more. The tour departs from Dam Square every hour on the hour, starting at 1:00 pm every day. You can buy your ticket in a MacBike shop or book online.

Where does the guided city tour start?

A．The Gooyer, Windmill.

B．The Skinny Bridge.

C．Heineken Brewery.

D．Dam Square.

7 . Things to Do in Yorkshire This Summer

…

Jodie’s Fitness Summer Classes

As the summer months roll in, our Georgian country estate makes the perfect setting for an outdoor fitness session. Come and work out with our qualified personal trainer, Jodie McGregor, on the grounds of the Middleton Lodge estate.

We will be holding a free taster session on 23rd May, at 10 am, to demonstrate the variety of effective and active exercises. There are eight spaces available for the taster session. Advance bookings are required (info@middletonlodge.co.uk.paris)

Dates:23 May-11 July

Tickets: £7.50 per session

Felt Picture Making

Working from an inspirational picture, this workshop at Helmsley Arts Centre will teach you the techniques you will need to recreate your picture in wool.

We will also discuss the origins of felt, what enables wool fibres to become felt and how the processes we use work.

Dates: 12 June-12 July

Tickets: £40 including materials

…

1. What should you do if you want to attend the taster session of Jodie’s fitness classes?

A．Join a fitness club.	B．Pay a registration fee.
C．Make a booking.	D．Hire a personal trainer.

2. How much is the ticket for Felt Picture Making?

A．£7.50.

B．£12.

C．£40.

D．£96.

8 . When the Titanic sank, approximately 1, 509 of its 2214 passengers passed away. A majority of them died because the ship carried lifeboats for only half of the people on board. By all accounts, most died either by drowning or of hypothermia, since the temperature of the water was -2° C (28° F), in which death occurs in about fifteen minutes. The survival rate for men was 19%, for women 72%, and for children, 50%. Most survivors were first class passengers, followed by second class, and finally third class. Six of the seven children in first class survived, and all of the children in second class survived, but only about 31 percent were saved in third class.

In short, the available evidence from the Titanic disaster suggests that we often care for others, even at some cost to ourselves. But why? Do we in fact psychologically tend to be altruistical? Or are we blank slates (白板) on which culture and education draws our character, for better or worse? The survival rates of women and children appear to support the former explanation; but the culturally prejudiced explanations of those facts appear to support the latter. Is there a way to judge between them?

The blank slate theory of human nature is related to the seventeenth-century English philosopher, John Locke. He argued that the mind should be considered as a blank sheet of paper until it is furnished by experience, which varies from person to person. Locke’s theory was a particularly effective way to weaken the influence of the church and of king’s right to rule, both of which were held to be self-evidently true.

The belief of the blank slate has proved to be greatly influential, extending far beyond the field of political theory. The social sciences generally have tried to explain human behavior as a product of the socialization of children by culture and education.

Which group has the highest survival rate in the Titanic accident?

A．Men in second class.

B．Men in third class.

C．Children in first class.

D．Children in second class.

9 . King Canute couldn’t stop the ocean’s tide from rolling in — can Africa hold back the desert?That’s certainly what the continent is tying to do with its proposed “Great Green Wall”, 800km (almost 5,00 miles) worth of trees that officials hope will stop the advancement of the Sahara Desert, which has been rapidly expanding southward.

The idea was introduced in the 1970s when the once-rich region turned barren (贫瘠的) due to climate change and intensive land use. But it’s not a new idea; China has its own desert vegetation project to hold back the Gobi Desert! Thanks to the Chinese plan, the African project aims to plant 100 million hectares of trees by 2030 across the entire Africa. The initiative is a decade in, and around 15% completed, and there have already been benefits for many communities and wildlife. It’s bringing life back to the continent’s degraded landscapes at an unprecedented scale, providing not only food security and jobs but a reason to stay for the millions who live along its path.

The creators of the wall hope it will bring an urgently needed solution to the threats facing the African continent, creating 10 million jobs in rural areas, as well as preventing 250 million tons of carbon. The initiative is Africa-driven, which for those on the continent, is vital, and may hold the key to success. “The Great Green Wall…is about ownership, and that has been the failure of development aid because people were never identified with it,” said Elvis Paul Tangam, African Union Commissioner for the Sahara and Sahel Great Green Wall Initiative.“But this time they identify. This is the very thing of us!”

The wall may seem like a moonshot, but all the best ideas usually are. As Thomas Sankara, former president of Burkina Faso said in 1985, “You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain degree of madness. The courage to turn your back on the old formulas, the courage to invent the future.”

1. What does Africa’s “Great Green Wall” aim for?

A．Offering more jobs for locals.

B．Stopping the expansion of desert.

C．Creating a harmonious society.

D．Improving African landscapes.

2. Where did Africa get the inspiration?

A．From their practices of planting trees.

B．From the process of stopping flooding.

C．From China’s success in desert control.

D．From Africans’ wisdom and hard work.